Borgner challenged law prohibiting him from advertising his unrecognized dentist specialty

Dr. Robert Borgner had obtained certification as an implant dentistry specialist from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID), but the ADA and state of Florida did not recognize this specialty or certification. Florida law prohibited licensed dentists from advertising unrecognized specialty practices until Borgner successfully challenged the law in federal court in Borgner v. Cook (N.D. Fla. 1998).

Florida changed law and required disclaimers when advertising unrecognized specialties

Following that ruling, Florida amended its law to allow dentists to advertise such a practice provided they include a disclaimer indicating that the specialty area is not recognized. An additional disclaimer would be required to advertise credentials not endorsed by the state. In Borgner’s case, that language would read: “[THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF IMPLANT DENTISTRY] IS NOT RECOGNIZED AS A BONA FIDE SPECIALTY ACCREDITING ORGANIZATION BY THE AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIA- TION OR THE FLORIDA BOARD OF DENTISTRY.”

Borgner challenged new law

Borgner again sued successfully in federal court in Borgner v. Brooks (N.D. Fla. 2001), contending that the forced inclusion of the two disclaimers violated his First Amendment rights. The state board of dentistry appealed to the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Supreme Court denied certiorari

Borgner appealed to the Supreme Court, which denied certiorari on Dec. 9, 2002. Justice Clarence Thomas, joined by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, dissented, writing that the Court should take the case because it “presents an excellent opportunity to clarify some oft-recurring issues in the First Amendment treatment of commercial speech and to provide lower courts with guidance on the subject of state-mandated disclaimers. . . . [O]ur resolution of this case can provide needed guidance on this important issue.”